Michael Rea, Chief Operating Officer, and David Vincent, Ph.D., Director of Projects, UK Carbon Trust, An independent company, funded by the United Kingdom Government

Overview

Cited in the Economic and Technology Advancement Advisory Committee report as being one of the possible models by which California can develop its own Carbon Trust, UK Carbon Trust is leading the way.

It is the United Kingdom's (UK) primary delivery agent for carbon dioxide emissions reduction and energy efficiency improvement in the non-domestic sector. By creating five distinct but complementary business areas: Insights, Solutions, Innovations, Enterprises, and Investments, the Carbon Trust has developed and implemented an innovative approach to explain, deliver, develop, create, and finance carbon emissions reduction and low carbon technologies enterprises.

The Carbon Trust would like to share its experience of delivering emission reductions and low carbon innovation in UK through energy efficiency action in business and the public sector; and investments, incubators, and accelerator projects through projects with business and the university sectors. As part of the Government's climate change program, it has developed a capability to inform policy development and reduce emissions with today's technologies and knowhow. Since its inception in 2001, the Carbon Trust has saved its customers 10.8 MtCO2, and will do more by shaping the future into a low carbon economy. This carbon savings achievement has been independently verified by KPMG.

The presentation will share the model of the Carbon Trust, its products and services as one means whereby business can be supported and stimulated to make the move to a low carbon economy. An overview of the Carbon Trust's work on carbon labeling, and its new Carbon Standard product to recognize carbon emissions reductions will also be presented. The Carbon Trust was set up in 2001 by the Government in response to the threat of climate change. Its mission is to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy. The Carbon Trust is an independent, private company, funded by Government and is not part of the UK Government.

The Carbon Trust

The Carbon Trust is an independent company set up by government in response to the threat of climate change, to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy by working with organisations to reduce carbon emissions and develop commercial low carbon technologies. The Carbon Trust works with UK business and the public sector through its work in five complementary areas: insights, solutions, innovations, enterprises and investments. Together these help to explain, deliver, develop, create, and finance low carbon enterprise.

The Carbon Trust is funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR), the Scottish Government, the Welsh Assembly Government, and Invest Northern Ireland.

While Professor Bornstein will make the presentation, the study collaborators, Drs. Taha, Gonzalez, and Lebassi will also be available to respond to questions and comments.

Speaker Biography

Michael Rea is Chief Operating Officer, joined the Carbon Trust in January 2002 as Director of Strategy, responsible for developing existing and new programs to reduce carbon emissions in the UK. Previously, Mr. Rea was at McKinsey & Co. where he specialized both in corporate and business unit strategy and in performance improvement and developed particular expertise in growth strategy and change management. Michael Rea is a graduate of the University College Dublin where he completed a BEng (Mech) in 1991. Mr. Rea was awarded the faculty gold medal in his final year. Mr. Rea also completed his MBA at INSEAD, Paris in 1996.

David Vincent, Ph.D., is Director of Projects, joined the Carbon Trust in April 2001 on secondment from the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Prior to joining the Carbon Trust, Dr. Vincent was at the (then) Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions where he was involved in the development of the UK's climate change levy package of measures to help achieve carbon savings from the non-domestic sectors - in particular the negotiation of a number of climate change agreements with the energy intensive sectors and support for the team developing the Enhanced Capital Allowances scheme. Dr. Vincent also ran the Government's Energy Efficiency Best Practice program - which was the predecessor to many of the Carbon Trust's carbon savings program and initiatives. Dr. Vincent is a physical chemist by training, having received a Ph.D. from the University of Kent at Canterbury in 1973 for his original research in the field of low temperature fluorescence spectroscopy applied to anthracene and other polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.